It's Not What You Think
by Witch4
Summary: Post Twilight. What I think happened after Kate...Complete. Partly TATE.
1. The Missing Corpse

This is post Twilight. My version of what happened afterwards.

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 1-The Missing Corpse**

"What do you mean she's gone?" Jethro Gibbs yelled at Ducky as they walked towards the crypt.

"I mean, I came down here this morning and I was going through the files. I saw that Kate's body was to be released this afternoon & so I had Mr. Palmer get her body so that it could be made ready for transport. That's when we discovered that she was missing," the ME said, his British accent becoming obvious as he explained to his friend and colleague the events of that morning.

* * *

_A few hours earlier_

Dr. Donald Mallard, "Ducky" to his friends, walked into the morgue of the NCIS building, listening to his assistant Jimmy Palmer tell him about an article he had read the previous night.

"Anyway, Doctor, I just though that you might find it interesting," he finished as he handed the magazine to his superior.

"Thank you, Mr. Palmer, I shall read it later."

Ducky put the magazine down on the counter and began looking through the files he had left there the day before. He stopped as he came across the autopsy file of his late friend and colleague, Special Agent Caitlin Todd.

"Are any bodies being released today?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes. Caitlin will be leaving us today." Ducky smiled sadly as he thought of what he had just said.

"Should I get her ready for transport?" Jimmy asked, careful to not interrupt his mentor's thoughts.

"What? Oh, yes. If you will, please."

Jimmy nodded and proceeded to do the heartbreaking task of getting the agent's body out of its drawer. He stopped when he saw the empty space where her body had been the day before.

"Uh, Doctor?"

"What is it, Mr. Palmer?"

"I, uh, think you should take a look at this."

"A look at what, Mr. Palmer?" _The body of one of my closest friends?_

"There's nothing there," he said when he came to see what the young man was talking about.

"Exactly, Dr. Mallard. There's nothing in this drawer. But she was here yesterday."

"What do you mean?" The older man took a look at the label on the front of the drawer.

_Todd, Caitlin_

"She's gone, Dr. Mallard."

* * *

So, what do you think? 


	2. The New Agent

Probably should have mentioned this earlier: This story takes place two days after Kate's autopsy.

Also, for all you German-speakers, I know the phrases are bad, but my German is really bad. Thank you to Runy for translating it correctly (Danke Schön!)

ASL stands for American Sign Language.

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 2-The New Agent**

"She's gone, Dr. Mallard."

The words rang hollow in the ME's ears.

_She's gone._

_

* * *

NCIS/Abby's lab. _

"What do you mean, boss?" McGee asked Gibbs as the older agent filled him and Abby in on what Ducky had told him.

"Kate's body is missing, that's what I mean. I don't want Tony to know until I know more about what's going on."

"That's easier said than done, Gibbs," Abby said. "Everyone in the building has been walking on eggshells around him for the past two days."

"I know that, neither of you are going to tell him. Got it?"

"Yes, boss."

"Got it."

"Good. I should probably tell you that the Director has called in an outside agent to investigate."

"An outside agent?" McGee looked at Abby and Gibbs quizzically.

"Someone not affected by what happens here. Who are they sending?"

"Lili Snyder," Gibbs answered as he left the two computer whizzes to their work.

"Cool!"

"Who's Lili Snyder?"

"You've never heard of Elisabeth Snyder?" Abby asked in half-mocking disbelief.

"Are you talking about Special Agent Elisabeth Snyder from San Diego? One of the youngest agents ever?"

"She would be the one and only. She and Pacci were partners up until four years ago when the Director had her transferred to San Diego. It's kind of hard to believe that Pacci was her probie when he started out here."

"Is she really as young as they say she is?"

"I don't know. I never really asked her how old she was, and don't even think about getting it from her file. She has top level security clearance, when she first came, I tried to go into her file, but the firewalls corrupted my computer."

"So, she's a real enigma."

"Yep."

_

* * *

Six hours later. _

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Jethro Gibbs," a young, blonde woman asked McGee as she came into the bullpen.

"Um…well…he's…um…Boss?" McGee asked Gibbs as he came up behind the two young adults.

"Lili! It's good to see you again," Gibbs said as he clapped a hand on her back.

"It's good to see you, too, Jethro. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"So do I. McGee!"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"This is Special Agent Elisabeth Snyder."

"Hi, call me Lili," she said as she shook McGee's hand.

"Timothy McGee."

"It's nice to meet you, Timothy."

Her greeting was rewarded by the sound of Tony yelling with another agent over a case, "I don't care what you think, Probie! This wound was caused by a knife, not a bullet!" He walked away from the shaking agent and was met by the sight of Lili.

"Hey, Boss, McGee. Who's this?" he asked as he approached the small group.

"Tony Dinozzo, this is Elisabeth Snyder."

"Hi, call me Lili," she greeted him as they shook hands.

"Why's she here?" Tony asked Gibbs as sat down at his desk and began typing up a report.

"Agent Snyder has been assigned here temporarily. She's here to investigate an unrelated case," Gibbs answered.

"Isn't that my old desk?" Lili asked as Tony continued typing.

"Yeah. You'll be using Pacci's-" McGee started before being cut off by Gibbs.

"You'll be using Malone's old desk," Gibbs finished, seeing the look of hurt on Lili's face at the mention of her late former partner and probie.

"Cool." She went over to the indicated desk and took out a laptop and several files. She also took out a cord and hooked the laptop up to the desktop computer. Gibbs handed her another file.

"Here's you assignment, Liebe," Gibbs said. He continued in German, "Ich will nicht, dass Tony es mitbekommt," _I don't want Tony to know_ he said. She nodded in understanding, knowing that he meant that he didn't want Tony to know what she was working on.

"Are you two going to do that all the time?" Tony asked them. "It's kind of annoying, like when you and Abby speak in sign language."

_He doesn't know ASL?_ She signed to Gibbs.

_Not as far as I know,_ he signed back. The two agents laughed.

"Ha ha, very funny," Tony said as he went back to his report.

_

* * *

NCIS/Abby's lab. _

Lili entered the NCIS lab and was greeted by the roar of Abby's heavy metal music. She searched around for the source of the noise and, finding the stereo, paused the music.

"Hey! It was getting to the good part!" Abby whined before she saw the agent.

"I've heard this song before, Abbs. There is no good part."

"That's just because you're the punk to my Goth. You're too teenie-bopper," Abby answered, looking up and seeing the blonde who had turned off her entertainment.

"Hey! Don't mock the punk! Besides, I only listen to it. I'm not a punk-rocker, I'm a classical rocker. And don't you _dare_ start mocking Mötley Crüe!"

The two women stopped their banter and hugged each other in greeting.

"So, I'm guessing you're here about the evidence involving your case?"

"You are correct, Madam."

"They're right here," Abby said as she handed the blonde woman a two boxes and a file.

"Cool, thanks. Hey, how are you holding up?" Lili asked her friend.

"I'm okay," the Goth answered. "I'm holding up," she added, seeing the look of disbelief of the agent's face. "I'm more worried about Tony, though."

"You mean Mr. 'This wound was caused by a knife, not a bullet!'"

"Yeah. He's been a bit-"

"Tightly wound?"

"Exactly. I think he's been affected the most by what happened. And now with the whole reason why you're here, I don't blame Gibbs for keeping Tony in the dark."

"What about her family? Jethro said the body was supposed to be released today."

"Gibbs called them and said that some suspicious evidence had turned up and the government wouldn't authorize the release of her."

"That makes my job easier. Thanks Abbs," Lili said as she pressed PLAY on the stereo and left. Her next stop would be autopsy.

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Suspense killing you? No pun intended. 


	3. The Investigation Begins

Author's note: When I mentioned Mötley Crüe, it was because Lili listens to them, and I felt it unnecessary to write some banter about classical & punk rock vs. everything that is Goth.

And now, on with our story.

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 3-The Investigation Begins**

_Autopsy lab._

"Hey, Ducky!" Lili said as she entered the autopsy lab. "What do you have for me?"

"Elisabeth! Jethro said you'd been assigned to the case. We left her here yesterday," he greeted her as the two old friends made their way to the cabinet where the bodies were kept.

"So, you came in this morning and she was gone?" Lili asked as she wrote notes.

"Yes. Mr. Palmer, my assistant, was the one who discovered she was missing."

"Hmm. Does anyone have access to the bodies after closing time?"

"The janitorial staff and some security personal, but I think that's about it."

"Okay, I'm going to go check with security, see if I can get something off the tapes and maybe see if anyone remembers seeing something strange. Thanks, Ducky! It was good to see you again."

"It's a shame it isn't on a lighter reason."

"Yeah, well, I'd better go get that footage. I'll come back later and tell you what I've found, okay?"

"That sounds excellent. Just be careful."

"I will. And don't worry; I'll make sure Tony doesn't find out."

"Well, then. Good luck, my dear."

"Thanks again, Duck!" she called back as she left the room.

"Who was that, Doctor?" Jimmy asked the ME.

"Just a friend, Mr. Palmer. Alright then, I suppose we should get started with the young lieutenant. See what he can tell us."

"Okay."

_

* * *

Security. _

"Hey, Jerry," Lili greeted the man sitting in front of TV monitors.

"Hello, Lili. I'd heard you were back."

"Just investigating. Do you think I could get the morgue security footage from last night?"

"Sure. What for?"

"Nothing, it's just always good to see what's going on."

"I heard some evidence had been taken. Does the tape have something to do with it?"

"Yeah. I just want to make sure I have all of my bases covered."

"Alright, then. Let's see, here you go," he said as he handed her a tape.

"Thanks, Jerry. I'll try to bring it back."

"No problem, take your time. It's never a good thing when something is stolen."

"Isn't that the truth. Thanks again. Bye!"

Lili left the security office and headed back to her desk. _So, they told everyone that some evidence was stolen, I can work with that._

_

* * *

NCIS bullpen. _

"Hey, Boss," Tony said to Gibbs as the older agent walked to his desk. "I did a search on Lili Snyder and all of her files are locked. What gives?"

"She has top security clearance, Tony. Abby said that she couldn't even find anything out," McGee answered.

"I wasn't asking you, Probie," Tony said.

"She's none of your concern, Dinozzo. She's here to investigate some evidence that was stolen from a case she'd worked on with Pacci before she left. Now get back to work!"

"Got it, Boss."

* * *

Who is this Lili Snyder? And why does she have such high security clearance? 

Please review!


	4. What's Happened?

I have answered some questions that were asked in the previous chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 4-What's Happened?**

_12 hours ago--__NCIS San Diego field office._

Special Agent Conrad Michaels walked down the stairs to the bullpen, a mixed look of annoyance, fear, and concern etched on his face. As he approached the area where his team worked he spotted a young blonde woman quickly typing up a report. He smiled as he saw the look of determination on her face; the report was being translated from Japanese. Despite the early hour (4:30 AM PDT), his team had been hard at work, trying to solve a triple homicide involving two Marine PFCs and a hooker; all three had been killed by an unknown assailant who had left a trail of bodies throughout the Ring of Fire, the latest case having taken place in Japan.

"Lili, you're wanted in D.C."

The woman looked up from her typing and stared at her boss and colleague. When she saw the mixed emotions on his face, she knew something had happened.

"What's up?" she asked; she knew the bosses didn't send you to the capitol for no reason.

"Your old friend Jethro Gibbs needs your help on something. The Director didn't say what." He handed her the file he had been holding and watched as she scanned the first page. The report had been written in Welsh, probably to keep prying eyes from knowing its contents. Another agent, Arturo Gomez, looked over her shoulder to see what she was reading.

"Is there a reason everything you're given is written in another language?" the tall Latino asked her.

"Yes; it's so people like you don't find out what only I'm supposed to know. Who sent this?" she asked Michaels.

"It was faxed over from HQ."

"That explains some things. I guess I'd better get going," she said as she got her things.

"There should be a red-eye ticket in the file," Michaels told the young agent as she took out her service weapon and placed it in her book bag.

"Yeah, there is. Here," she said as she handed Arturo another file, "I've finished translating it. Have fun."

He stared at her retreating form and then took a look at what she had handed him. The report (not the one she had been translating when Conrad had told her her D.C. assignment) was written in Portuguese.

"Gee, thanks!" he called after her.

"The English is on the next page!" she called back.

He went to the next page, and sure enough, the report had been translated into English.

_

* * *

NCIS HQ bullpen. _

Lili quickly typed up her findings from the security videos. Tony walked up to her to see what she was up to; she had been furiously typing for the past half hour, and the sound had gotten him both annoyed and curious as to why she was typing as fast as she could. When he looked at her computer screen he saw words written in another language.

"It's Gaelic, or at least, it's phonetically Gaelic," she told him, not stopping once as she looked over her notes, which had been written in what looked like Chinese.

"How many languages do you know?" he asked her.

"Ten languages and about sixteen dialects," she answered, finishing a paragraph.

"Dinozzo! Let her work!" Gibbs yelled at the younger man as he came into the bullpen and walked over to where Lili was situated.

"Have you found anything?" he asked her.

"Sí und nyet," she answered him, smiling as Tony gave her a puzzled look.

_The security tapes for the morgue were doctored,_ she signed.

_How much?_

_About fifty percent,_ she told him.

"It's a start. Good work. Let me know if you've found anything else."

"You got it," she answered as she went back to her typing.

* * *

Does that explain some things? I hope so. If not, have no fear! More will come. Please keep your reviews coming! 


	5. Why She's Missing

As I promised, here are some more answers.

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 5-Why She's Missing**

_Five days ago_

Kate Todd was sitting on her couch reading a magazine when the door knocked. When she got up and answered it, she was shocked to see Gibbs' Most Wanted himself: Ari Haswari.

"What the hell-"

He cuts her off by pushing her back into her apartment, closing the door and locking it as he points a gun at her.

"Shh. Caitlin, you must listen to me, and listen carefully. I'm here to warn you."

"Warn me?" She reaches for her own weapon but is stopped by the fugitive.

"Yes. You and your team are in great danger. I can't say from whom, I don't know who they are, but they want you dead."

"What? Dead? What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's not Agent Gibbs they are after, nor Agents Dinozzo or McGee or Dr. Mallard or your friend Abby. They are after you."

"Why me?" she had given up trying to reach for a weapon at this point and was instead trying to see what was going on in his head.

"You worked for the Secret Service, correct? These people aren't very happy at having their plans foiled by a warrior woman such as you. Your Director has asked that you be put in protective custody."

"Does Gibbs know about this?"

"No, and he won't know until it is time for him to find out. I will pretend to go after him. You will be made his bodyguard…" He continued telling her the plan while she sat there speechless. Finally, he told her what would happen after she had "died."

"Your doctor does not know, either. Only a few have been informed. Someone will come into the morgue to take your body away-"

"But what about the autopsy? Ducky will know something is up."

"No, he won't. A body will be provided."

"They'll still know it's not me," she said.

"You do not know that. Nor will you remember any of this conversation." He took out a white cloth and held it over her nose and mouth. Once she was unconscious, he set about erasing all evidence of his visit. She would wake later and think that she had fallen asleep reading. All traces of the drug would be gone from her system by then.

"Good-bye, Caitlin. Until you are dead."

He quietly left the apartment. Taking out his cell phone, he made a call

"Agent Michaels? It's done."

_

* * *

NCIS HQ-Autopsy room-0600 Zulu _

A figure swathed in dark clothing carefully made his way to the drawers where bodies were kept. Using a flashlight to illuminate the names written on cards at the face of the drawers, the visitor stopped at the fifth drawer they had come to.

_Todd, Caitlin_

Carefully opening the drawer, the person was greeted by the sight of the body of NCIS Special Agent Caitlin "Kate" Todd, formerly with the Secret Service. As the figure moved, it became evident to anyone who might have been watching (although highly unlikely since the security cameras were currently on a loop) that this intruder was a man.

He opened the drawer all the way and with much ease, picked up the cadaver. He was soon joined by a woman, also in black. She looked at the name on the drawer and looked at the face of the dead woman. _I guess we could have been seen as sisters_, the woman thought as she brought a body bag and gurney with her.

The two people loaded the body into the bag and rolled the gurney, corpse and all, out of the room and on to the elevator a few feet away. Once inside, the woman, a brunette who looked extremely uncomfortable with the situation, broke the silence.

"She really does look like me. Who was she?"

"A homeless woman," her companion, a dark-haired man in his 30's answered.

"How did you-"

"Make her look like you? We didn't. She was killed because she looked like you."

"What?"

"Do not worry, Caitlin, our friend in California has everything in place."

"But the body is supposed to be released tomorrow. They'll notice she's, I mean I'm, gone."

"That's the plan."

"Gibbs is going to kill you when he finds out."

The man laughed. "Maybe. We'll see after he finds out why you're 'dead.'"

Kate looked like she was about to say something, but thought better of it when the elevator stopped and the doors opened. They wheeled the gurney to a waiting van; a man dressed as a coroner came out and opened the back doors for them, watching as they loaded the gurney with its special "package" into the back.

"Ari! What took you so long?"

"We had to wait for the guard rotation," he answered.

"No one saw you?"

"No. We made sure we were invisible. I can't go walking around with a dead woman, now can I?" he joked, talking about Kate.

"As long as you weren't seen-"

"Don't worry, Jameson. We weren't seen. The security feed should be coming out of the loop in a few minutes. We'd better leave."

"Agreed," Jameson said as the two men followed Kate and climbed into the van.

Ari noticed the look of worry on Kate's face through the little light they had from the street lights. "Don't worry. It will all be over soon."

She said nothing.

* * *

Well, does that answer any more questions? I hope so. Please keep your reviews coming! 


	6. Security Clearance

My Spanish isn't that great (kind of like my German), so I apologize to everyone who speaks better Spanish than I do for whatever mistakes I made. I also apologize to anyone who speaks Welsh, Gaelic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and/or Portuguese. My language skills are lacking when it comes to non-English.

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 6-Security Clearance**

_NCIS HQ-bullpen-0400 Zulu._

It had been almost one full day since the discovery of the disappearance of Kate's body, and Lili was still working hard. For the last few hours, she'd been getting the feeling that there was something wrong with Tony, although she couldn't put her finger on what.

She found out what it was as she was coming back to her desk with a hot cup of coffee in one hand and a file in the other.

"Tony? Are you alright?" she asked when she saw the disheveled head of the other agent. His face was red; it looked like he had been crying. She put down the coffee and the file and went over to see if he was okay, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," he brushed off the hand that was on his shoulder and began typing.

"No, you're not," she said, walking around to where he was sitting. She saw that he still had tears in his eyes, but he didn't bother to cover those up.

"You miss her, don't you?" Lili asked him sympathetically. He looked at her in shock. "Jethro told me when you went to get coffee this morning," she quickly explained, hoping he didn't realize that she was covering something up.

"Yeah, I do."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No," he said before gathering his things. "I'm going to go home. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess. Sleep well!" she called after him.

"Doubt it," he whispered to himself.

She watched him get on the elevator then went back to the task at hand: writing more notes on the disappearance of Kate Todd's body. She was interrupted in her quest for the right page by her cell phone ringing.

"Snyder."

"Agent Snyder, I suggest looking under file #9103762 in the FBI's database. They know more than they're letting on," a low male voice, accented by what sounded like a mix of proper English and possibly Hebrew, told her before hanging up.

"Who are you?" she asked into the silence before realizing what had happened.

Quickly, she logged on to the FBI's database and looked up file #9103762. She was shocked by what she read.

_Haswari, Ari. Wanted in connection for the kidnapping of Medical Examiner Dr. Donald Mallard, NCIS Special Agent Caitlin Todd, & Assistant Medical Examiner Gerald Jackson_

_Shooting injury of Assistant Medical Examiner Gerald Jackson_

_Shooting death of NCIS Special Agent Caitlin Todd_

This information both shocked and intrigued Lili, and she continued to read the file.

When she was finished, she added this new information to her notes and began to type up a new report, detailing what she had just learned. She excluded the mysterious phone call.

The mysterious phone call…It scared her a little with the sudden information that someone was able to find out who she was and why she was able to access restricted files. It also made her think…

* * *

_Eight years ago--__Quantico, Virginia-FBI Training Academy &Marine Corps. Base._

"What do you suggest doing with her, Sir?" the Marine lieutenant asked FBI Special Agent Richard Tompkins.

"Find out how much she knows," he said, directing the order to the two agents standing next to the Marine. "We'll figure out what happens to her later."

"Certainly, Sir." The Marine nodded to two guards stationed on either side of the blonde girl. She looked at them, but said nothing, standing up when they each grabbed one of her arms and directed her to an interrogation room.

As they entered the room, she looked around and saw a table with four chairs. One of the Marines let go of her arm while the other escorted her to one of the chairs. She glared at the men who had brought her to this small room. This certainly wasn't going to be good for her claustrophobia.

One of the agents, a tall man with dark hair and dark eyes, sat across from her and began shuffling papers and files, as if to be rid of an invisible disorder on the tables. He cleared his throat and addressed her, his thick Southern accent disrupting the quiet of the room.

"So, Miss…Snyder? Is it? What were you doing in that room?" The girl just stared at him as if he were speaking another language.

_He **is** speaking another language_, she thought to herself.

"Well?" he asked her, growing impatient with her silence. She just continued to stare at, her blue eyes turning an eerie shad of grey flecked with yellow so vivid that the other men, _Are they men?_, standing on the other side of the window could faintly see the color.

_Yes_, she thought to herself, _there are only three men on the other side of that glass._

She kept her gaze steady, boring an invisible hole into each of their foreheads.

"Did you hear me?" he asked. "¿Tú hablas ingles?" _Do you speak English?_ He asked her in bad Spanish.

"Sí Señor, y yo hablo lenguaje por señas de americano, alemán, chino, japonés, gaélico, galés, portugués, y ruso." _Yes, Sir, and I speak American Sign Language, German, Chinese, Japanese, Gaelic, Welsh, Portuguese, & Russian_, she said to the man in perfect Spanish.

This surprised everyone, and the girl allowed herself a smile at seeing their faces.

"So you speak," the man began counting on his fingers, "eight languages?"

This question raised quite a few eyebrows. "No, I speak ten languages. Ten, zehn, diez, deg, shi, juu, dez, desyty, deug, _ten_," she said, signing the last in ASL.

"Alright, fine. Now, could you please tell us what you were doing in that room?"

"I wanted to know what was in the building," she said innocently, giving the man across from her the puppy-dog-eyed face that never works.

"Really. What did you do in there?"

"I fixed your computers. They said there was a virus and I got rid of the virus. You know, you should really do more virus scans," she told the man, going into a whole babbly fit about why the computers weren't working properly.

It didn't look like the man, or any of the men in the room and behind the glass, believed her.

"So, you're telling me that you wanted to know what was in the building and fixed the computers." He looked at the agent standing behind the girl.

"We checked, Agent Humphrey. All of the computers were in working order."

The man looked at her again, still skeptical of her story. He nodded to the other three men in the room, and all four of them left, closing the door behind them.

"Did you find anything out about her?" Agent Humphrey asked another agent that had been looking through the two-way mirror.

"She's an extremely gifted child. Only 14 years old. Graduated top of her high school class last year. Goes to GW." Humphrey nodded.

"Should we keep her here, Sir?" one of the Marines who had been in the room with him asked.

"Take her to see Dr. Murphy. Maybe she'll have better luck." The Marines and agents nodded, and the two guards who had been in the interrogation room went back in and escorted the girl out, taking her back to the academy to see Dr. Murphy.

_The office of Dr. Debra Murphy, FBI Training Academy, Quantico, VA._

"Is this the girl?" Dr. Murphy asked the agent that had accompanied the two Marines and their ward.

"Yes. Dr. Debra Murphy, this is Elisabeth Snyder. I'm leaving her with you."

"Take the guards with you. She won't be a problem." The agent nodded and the two guards followed him out.

"Now, Elisabeth is it?"

"It's Lili."

"Alright, Lili? I was wondering if I could give you an IQ test. Would that be okay?"

"Sure, why not. At least you had the decency to ask. Most don't."

"Well, I'm not like most," Dr. Murphy said before handing a book and some scantrons to the girl.

Two hours later, Lili was done with the IQ test. It hadn't taken her that long, but she always liked to look over her answers carefully. She handed the test and book back to the older woman, and was rewarded with a smile and a promise of a tour of the unrestricted areas later on.

"I hear you go to George Washington University. What are you majoring in, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Criminal sciences and justice."

"That's a difficult subject."

"Not really. I've already been there for a year. Everything's really easy."

"I see. Do you like it there?"

"It's okay, but it gets really boring at times."

"I'm sure it does." They continued their conversation for another thirty minutes before they were interrupted by the sound of the scantron machine spitting out the corrected IQ test.

"Let's see…" Dr. Murphy started. She gasped when she saw the score.

"What? Did I do badly?" Lili asked her.

"No, actually, quite the opposite. You got an almost perfect score."

"Cool."

"Very."

Just as Lili was about to leave ninety minutes later, Dr. Murphy stopped her.

"Hey, I've got an idea. Would you maybe think about joining the FBI after you graduate?"

"Sure, that'd be cool."

"Alright. Good."

Four years later, Lili entered Quantico and, under the close supervision of Dr. Debra Murphy, graduated two years later. Upon her graduation, Lili was given top security clearance.

However, it was never explained to her why she'd been given the clearance. Dr. Murphy had explained that the Director had felt her scores had been enough proof for the government to award her the clearance.

_

* * *

NCIS HQ bullpen. _

Lili was taken out of her memories by the last page of her recent report printing out. She sighed and, picking up the pages and paper clipping them into the file folder, saved her report and turned the computer off. She looked at her watch realizing that she should really get some sleep, decided that she would turn in the report in the morning.

She gathered her things and left, placing the file in her book bag as she headed for the elevator. She looked around one last time, and stepped into the open elevator, going down to the parking garage. This was going to be a long assignment.

* * *

Do you like it? Hate it? I hope it answered some more questions. Please review! 


	7. A Clue

Thank you for your reviews! I'll try to make sure the right questions are answered. So now, on with our story!

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 7-A Clue**

_NCIS HQ-Washington, D.C.-1600 Zulu._

Lili exited the elevator, a stack of files in one hand and a cup of coffee in another. She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the previous night; something about the case was bugging her. She reached her desk and, depositing her belongings on her desk, took the top file, a pen, and a notebook, and walked back to the elevator. Pressing the DOWN button, she thought back to what had been bothering her.

_

* * *

The apartment of Melissa Dandridge, Washington, D.C., 0700 Zulu, the previous night _

"Hey, what's that you're working on?" Melissa Dandridge asked her houseguest as she came over with a sandwich and a cup of tea.

"Umm, a case. Thanks," she said as she accepted the plate and cup.

"What's it on?" She looked at the laptop on the coffee table, only to discover it was in phonetic Japanese.

"Umm, it's from an old case I worked on with Pacci."

"That's cool. I guess. Well, I'll leave you to it, then. Good night," she said as she retreated to the back of the apartment.

"Yeah. Night." Lili looked back at her notes and noticed something funny about the autopsy notes Jimmy Palmer had given her earlier that day. There was something wrong with the report.

"I've got it! Blood type was AB positive? That doesn't match." She looked at Kate Todd's medical report. "She was O negative. The body was switched. Damn it."

_

* * *

Present day. _

The elevator stopped at the floor where the autopsy lab was located. Lili exited and was promptly greeted by Jimmy Palmer.

"Oh! Agent Snyder! I was just, umm, Dr. Mallard's in the lab."

"Thanks Jimmy," she said as she stepped aside so he could enter the elevator.

Waving goodbye to him, she walked into the lab and found Ducky pondering over a report. "Good morning, Ducky. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Elisabeth! Good morning! Of course, what is it?"

Lili showed him the file. He looked at it intently, and was surprised at what he read.

"I must have missed it in all the confusion. I'm sorry, Elisabeth. I don't know how that could have happened."

"It's all right, Ducky. You were emotional. It's happened to everyone. When I found out about Pacci, Conrad had to give me leave for a week before I could handle working again. I almost botched a case. But, I'm wondering what happened to Agent Todd's body."

"We're all wondering, but, thinking back, I remember that the men who took Caitlin's body in the van were new. I had never seen them before."

"Really? Okay, well I'll look into that. Thanks Ducky!" she called back as she hurried out of the room. She now had a clue as to what might have happened to Agent Todd's body. She entered the elevator, a look of deep thought etched on her face.

When the elevator stopped at the floor where the bullpen was, she exited and headed straight for Jethro Gibbs' desk.

"What's this?" he asked her as she dropped the file in front of him.

"A new report. I found something interesting that might help." He looked at the report, skimming the German words that made it up. "Okay. Thanks. Keep me updated."

"You got it."

* * *

Well, what do you think? Did that answer any burning questions you might have had? Please keep on reviewing! 


	8. Answers Given to Questions Always Asked

Hopefully this'll make sense. Enjoy!

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 8-Answers Given to Questions Always Asked**

_NCIS HQ bullpen-1000 Zulu._

The shrill ringing of her cell phone woke up Lili from the few hours' rest she had gotten at her desk. Wearily, she answered with a groggy "Snyder."

"Come to 1863 Stones Town Rd. in one hour. Come alone. Don't be late."

"What? Wait! Who is this?" Her questions were greeted by silence. A moment later, she realized what had happened and quickly got her things together.

_

* * *

1863 Stones Town Rd., Downtown D.C.-1100 Zulu _

It had taken her forty minutes to find the abandoned building. As she was composing herself and gathering her book bag, she heard a knock on the driver's side window. When she opened the door, rough hands grabbed her and dragged her out of the car.

Whoever they were, they didn't trust her to not run away, since the burlier of the two, was it two, men was using the fireman's carry. He dropped her down on the hard cement floor. She quickly scrambled up, but was grabbed and tied to a chair before she could get to her book bag where she kept her concealed weapon.

"Who are you? What's going on?" she questioned her captors, but was quickly shushed by a bright light and the sudden appearance of her boss, NCIS Special Agent Conrad Michaels.

"You'll be told everything, Lili," he told her as he loosened her bonds.

"You'd better. I want to know what the hell is going on! Now!" she snapped at her captors.

"We'll explain if you promise you won't start screaming," the man who had grabbed her said.

"Fine. I won't scream. Just tell me what the hell is going on!"

"The missing body you're looking for isn't exactly missing," a woman's voice told her.

The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows. She was a brunette woman with brown eyes; an inch or two taller than Lili herself. The blonde recognized the woman immediately.

"Agent Todd! You're alive! Wait, how? I saw the pictures and-"

"And you saw that the blood type of the missing body didn't match Caitlin's blood type, correct Elisabeth?" Another man said. Stepping out of the shadows, Lili could see that he was of middle-eastern descent. His accent was a mixture of proper English and possibly Hebrew or Arabic.

"You're Ari Haswari!" Lili said, suddenly feeling foolish for stating the obvious.

"You are here because we felt that someone should know what was going on," another man, also possibly of middle-eastern heritage said.

"Agent Michaels here suggested that you be the one to know, since you're investigating Caitlin's 'disappearance,'" Ari continued.

"That still doesn't explain to me what's going on," Lili said, trying to free herself from the rope that bound her to the chair.

"No, but what we have to tell you should," Michaels said.

He soon began explaining, with interjections made by the various people present. When he had finished, Lili felt even more confused, since what he had just told her now both contradicted and coincided with what she had figured out.

"So, let me get this straight," she said. "You either don't know who or just won't say who is after Agent Todd, so you faked her death to make sure that whoever they are think she's dead?"

"Exactly."

"Okay. I have one question, though: What about that body I'm supposed to find?"

"You will receive an anonymous tip as to the location of the body."

"A tip? This was never leaked to the public, how would anyone believe an anonymous tip?"

"This tip will come from someone who knows the location. You will not know who they are. They will give you a time and place; you will report this to Agent Gibbs & Dr. Mallard. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes. But when this is all over, you and I are going to have a talk, Conrad."

"I don't doubt that, Lili."

One of the men standing behind Lili pulled out a white cloth and held it over her nose and mouth. Everything went dark, and the next thing Lili Snyder knew, she was waking up at NCIS headquarters, head on her desk, and Agent McGee was shaking her shoulder.

"Huh? What? What time is it?" she asked the fair-haired man.

"It's 0730 our time. Were you here the whole night?"

"Huh? Umm, yeah," she answered as she thought back to her late night encounter. "Wait, no. I got a call from someone and went to meet them, but no one showed up. I think," she said, gratefully accepting the sup of coffee he held out to her.

"You think? You don't know?" Tony asked her as he watched the exchange.

"Give me a break, Anthony. I'm still running on Pacific daylight." She glared at him and he glared back, annoyed that she had used his first name.

"How's your case going?" Gibbs asked her as he walked to his desk.

"Umm, good. Snyder," she said as she answered the shrill ringing of her cell phone. "Wait, wait. Where? Okay, thanks, I guess." She hung up and gave the paper with the address to Gibbs.

"What's this?"

"The address where our contact is," she answered mysteriously, giving him a look that said, _This is about you-know-who._ "I'm going to go tell Ducky," she told him, grabbing the paper from his hands.

"I'll get the car," Gibbs told her.

"Are we coming, too, Boss?" Tony asked the older man.

"McGee, you're with me. Tony, you stay here and finish up that report," Gibbs barked at the two younger men.

"Is this about-" McGee started

"Yeah, McGee. We got her." Gibbs finished for him.

_

* * *

Autopsy lab. _

Lili exited the elevator and proceeded to where Ducky and Jimmy were discussing the body that lay on the steel slab before them.

"Ducky! Someone found her!"

"Mr. Palmer, put Lt. Jenkins away and get the van ready. Is this the address?"

"Yeah. You know, it's weird. I had a dream last night that this happened."

"Really? That's very interesting."

"I'll see you there. I'm catching a ride with Gibbs and McGee."

"I take it Tony is still in the dark about this?"

"Yeah. So, I'll see you there."

"Alright. I suppose good work is in order?"

"Not just yet. Later!" she called back as she left autopsy and headed for the elevator. This was going to interesting.

* * *

So, you like? For all of you who are thinking I'm mean for keeping Tony in the dark, I'm not. I just haven't figured out how he's going to be told what happened. Please review! 


	9. She Has Been Returned

I hope this answers some more questions.

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 9-She Has Been Returned**

_Large field-location classified-0800 local time._

There were already criminalists taking pictures and collecting evidence when they got there.

"Why area they all here?" McGee asked Gibbs & Lili as Gibbs stopped the car. Ducky and Jimmy Palmer arrived five minutes later.

"I don't know McGee," Gibbs answered as they climbed out of the sedan. They were greeted by Detective Johnson, the same man who had been at Kate's crime scene.

"Detective Johnson, what the hell's going on?" Gibbs greeted him.

"Someone called in a DB half-an-hour ago. What are you doing here?"

"Did the face belonging to the body look at all familiar to you, detective?"

"It's Agent Todd," the man answered.

"Exactly. She's been missing for the past day and a half." The detective gave Gibbs a confused expression.

"Don't ask," Lili advised him as she went to talk to one of the people collecting evidence. Ducky and Jimmy proceeded over to where the body was and were shocked to discover that it had been dressed. Quickly getting over their initial shock, they began the process of loading it onto the stretcher, when they were stopped by another detective, a woman who they had had never met before.

"What do you two think you're doing with that body?" she asked them.

"It's already been autopsied, detective. They're simply taking it back to our morgue," Lili answered her. She flashed the woman her badge and let the two men get on with their business.

"If you don't believe me, then take it up with that nice man over there in the hat. He'll be glad to tell you what's going on. And while you're at it, sign this." She handed the woman a clipboard and pen. On the clipboard was a gag order stating that she was never to speak of this until ordered to do so by the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The detective begrudgingly agreed and signed the order, all the while stating that it wasn't procedure to do so.

"That's tough. But you still have to. Thank you!" Lili thanked her cheerily before walking back over to where Gibbs and company were standing. Ducky and Jimmy were now loading the gurney into the van and Gibbs and Detective Johnson were just finishing up their talk. Lili handed the older agent the clipboard and pen, which he in turn handed to the detective.

"No complaining. I've had enough complaining about that form when I had to get your friends to sign it," she told the man.

"Fine. Whatever," he answered as he signed it. Gibbs nodded to him and then proceeded to walk back to the car, McGee and Lili following close behind.

_

* * *

NCIS HQ Autopsy lab.-0930 local time. _

"It's odd, Jethro. Whoever took the body dressed it," Ducky said as the two men were examining what damage had been done. "But all appears well. She can be released whenever her family comes."

_The body._ Those two words seemed so disrespectful.

"Okay, thanks Duck," he said as he headed out of autopsy.

"Are you going to inform the Todds?"

"Soon. I need to have a conversation with Lili, first."

_

* * *

NCIS HQ bullpen. _

"Lili!" Gibbs yelled at her.

"Yeah, Jethro?"

"You and I are going to have a little talk in my office," he told her as he headed back to the elevator. She groaned and grabbed a file. She had been expecting something like this for the last two hours.

In the elevator, Gibbs pressed the emergency stop button on the panel and the emergency lights turned on.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" She handed him the file.

"That explains everything that I was sworn to secrecy on. And now you are, too," she said as he skimmed through the pages.

"Kate was the target?" Lili nodded.

"This was put together to keep everyone else safe. Are you going to tell Tony?"

"I'll tell him after the service."

"As long as you're the one who tells him. I have enough trouble dealing with grieving widows. I don't know if I could handle a grieving friend."

Gibbs nodded in understanding. "Yeah. Well, I guess you'll be going back to San Diego," he said, changing the subject.

"Yeah. I have a court martial to prepare for." He looked at her oddly as he pressing the ON button. "Marine under suspicion of killing a sailor while the ship was anchored at Cordoba."

"Well, good luck with that."

"I'm going to stay for the service, if that's all right."

"I think it would be a great comfort if you were there."

"I'll definitely stay, then."

"Good." The two agents smiled and exited the elevator, walking back to their desks.

* * *

One chapter left! Please review! 


	10. The End

And now, our conclusion.

* * *

**It's Not What You Think-Chapter 10-The End.**

_Arlington National Cemetery-Two days later-1700 Zulu._

There was quite a crowd at the funeral of NCIS Special Agent Caitlin "Kate" Todd. All of her friends and co-workers, from both the Secret Service and NCIS, lawyers from JAG, her family, a ZNN camera crew, and enlisted from the Navy and Marines, and a small diplomatic entourage were present. It was obvious that she had touched many lives during her time as a federal agent.

At first it looked like it would rain, but five minutes before the funeral began, the sun came out and warmed the mourners.

Abby was the first to speak. She, like the rest of the team, had been greatly affected by Kate's "death." She spoke about all the things they had done, like playing tricks on Tony and working on cases that seemed harder to deal with then they actually were. McGee, Ducky, Jimmy, Gerald, and Gibbs followed.

Tony was the last of her NCIS friends to speak. He remained silent for a moment before speaking. He told them about the first time he had seen her. How he had thought she was amazing in her profiling skills and her insights into what might have been going through a person's mind. He remembered how she had stayed in quarantine with him when he was sick, risking her own health and well-being so that he wouldn't be alone. She had come to visit him every day he was out on sick-leave; giving him updates on what was going on in the office. He told them how she had joked with him and Gibbs only moments before her death. He finished by telling everyone that he would miss her most for who she was: an amazing and vibrant woman who could make even the saddest person laugh and smile and someone who would do everything in her power to make sure that everyone else was safe.

Her brothers and sister spoke next, followed by her parents. The last person to speak was a surprise to everyone: President George W. Bush himself.

At the end of the service, Tony, McGee, and Kate's brothers carried the casket out to the hearse Everyone followed it as it drove to the spot where she would be buried for all eternity. The four young men unloaded the casket and placed it over the hole where it would be placed. More words were said, with Ducky giving the eulogy and more words said about what an amazing young woman Kate was.

Finally, people dispersed, giving the family their condolences and heading back to their vehicles; they would all meet up at the Officer's Club for the wake.

Tony was the last to leave. He stood next to her coffin and began to cry. He had remained strong and stoic throughout the whole service, mainly so that no one would see his heartbreak.

He broke down crying and sat next to the box running his hands over the smooth surface of the coffin's lid.

"I miss you Kate. I miss you so much." He cried even harder.

A few yards away, hidden in the shadow of a tree, stood a solitary female figure. "I miss you, too, Tony," she said softly.

"I love you, Kate," she heard him say to the box. He leaned over to where her lips should be in the coffin and kissed the spot before standing up and brushing himself off. He tried to compose himself and walked away, taking one last look at where she would rest forever.

"I love you, too, Tony."

_**The End.**_

* * *

Well? What do you think? Please review! 


End file.
